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0. L. & J. ZIMMERMAN. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATING LAMP.

No. 600,846. Patented Mar. ,15. 1898.

Witnesses.

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linirnn TATES CHARLES L. ZIMMERMAN AND JOHN ZIMMERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

SAID CHARLES L. ZIMMERMAN ASSIGNOR TO SAID JOHN ZIMMERMAN.

ACETYLENE GAS-GENERATING LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,846, dated March 15, 1898. Application filed June 18, 1897. Serial No. 641,292- (No model.)

To all whom, itmay concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES L. ZIMMER- MAN and JOHN ZIMMERMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates particularly to that class of lamps that are used for forming and burning a gas generated by water being decomposed by the action of carbid of calcium or similar gas-producing material and especially to that class of lamps that are used in connection with vehicles or velocipedes.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple,economical,and efficient lamp adapted for forming and burning acetylene or similar gases; and the invention consists in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation taken on the line 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8 of Fig. 1.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that the generating andoburning of acetylene gas in ordinary lamps is dangerous, owing to the fact that such gas is usually generated and developed at high pressure, such as will tend to disrupt the structures when made in the ordinary manner. Our improvements are designed to overcome this objection and to provide a lamp in which water will be held in an absorbent material, so that such water may be drawn off by the gasproducing material in limited quantities only and thereby prevent the generation of the gas in large quantities at practically one moment of time. The lamp is further provided with a burner which is always open, so that the gas when it is formed may readily escape to the outer air to be consumed or wasted, thereby preventing the development or retaining of high pressure in the chamber.

In constructing a lamp in accordance with our improvements we provide a main portion N of the desired size and shape and which is preferably cylindrical in contour. This main portion is provided with a circular ring 11., formed, preferably, of a reticulated material, either wire-mesh or sheet metal, havinga multiplicity of perforations. This ring, in conneotion with the outer portion of the casing, forms a chamber N, inwhich is inserted a piece of absorbent material it, such as a wick or similar substance, the idea being to satuthe moisture-laden material at a sufficient distance away, so that it can only draw off the moisture in limited quantities, we provide a cylindrical perforated tube P, which is preferably formed of wire-mesh, and has several wings 19 extending radially therefrom and shown particularly in Fig. 2. The cylinder of carbid p is inserted in the interior of the perforated cylinder, so that it is equidistant in all of its sides from the moistureladen material. The rear end of the main portion is provided with a closing-cap Q, screw-threaded therein, so as to render the interior of the lamp portion readily accessible whenever it is desirable or necessary.

In order to provide for the escape of gases if at any time they should develop at high pressure, a puppet-valve R is provided and connected with the exterior of the casing, as shown in Fig. 1. A burner portion S is secured to the main portion and provided with a duct 8, leading,preferably,to the central part of the carbid core, so as to let the gas as fast as it is formed pass off to be consumed.

The lap or burner proper is secured to the main body portion at the front portion thereof and its reflector portion T forming a closure for the main body portion, while the lens 25 is secured to the conical portion of the reflector t, which extends outwardly from the main body portion, and connected therewith by means of the perforated cylinder T, having a chimney perforated and slotted, as shown at 29.

In operation the core of absorbent material is removed from the lamp and dipped into water. A quantity of water is supplied to the inner part of the casing and left therein until the annular absorbent portion is thoroughly saturated, the overplus being removed in any desired way. The saturated core is then placed in position, and after being so placed the perforated tube is placed in position and the cylinder of gas-producing material is inserted in position, as above described. The cap is then secured in place and the closure of the generating-chamber completed. The gas immediately begins to form and may be ignited or not, as is desirable or necessary.

A lamp formed in this Way and slightly larger than shown in the drawings will contain material and moisture enough to last in the neighborhood of four or five hours and is highly advantageous in that there is no danger in any Way to be derived from the de Velopment of gases at high pressure or the flooding of the generating-chamber, with its consequent liability to disrupt the structure.

,We claim- In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a main portion provided with an annular absorbent portion, aring of reticulated material forming the inner wall to hold the absorbent material in place, a perforated cylinder or tube provided with radial extending arms or wings and adapted to hold the calcium carbid out of contact with the absorbent material and a ring of absorbing material adapted to be removed from and inserted into position between the carbid of calcium and the outer ring of the first-named absorbent material, substantially as described.

CHARLES L. ZIMMERMAN. JOHN ZIMMERMAN. Witnesses:

AUG. B. SEELIG, FREDERICK L. WHITE. 

